Jono Schaffer

A sharply divided House approved an air-travel security bill Thursday that puts the Republican-controlled chamber at odds with the Senate over whether airport screeners of passengers and baggage should become federal employees.

It is a familiar ritual. A plane crashes, a volcano erupts, the ground quakes--and precisely 12 months later, on a disaster's anniversary, those who suffered and survived take stock and remember. There is no special magic in the passing of 365 days, no sudden lifting of clouds. But the cycle of the calendar provides a benchmark to measure progress, or the lack of it. Where were we then? Where are we now? What of the future? On Thursday, April 29, 1993, Los Angeles asked itself those questions.